MTC Will Hold 'Trans Visibility In The Theatre' Panel, Following Performance of THE NAP

Manhattan Theatre Club will "Trans Visibility in the Theatre," a panel directly following the Sunday, November 4th matinee of The Nap. Come to an open discussion about increasing trans presence in the theatre, with panelists including Alexandra Billings (The Nap, "Transparent"), Kate Bornstein (Straight White Men, "I Am Cait"), Will Davis (India Pale Ale, Men On Boats), Alexa Fogel ("Pose" Casting Director), Bianca Leigh (The Nap, Transamerica), and Marquise Vilson (Charm). They will discuss how the arts industry can sustain and further the current push for greater trans presence and representation.

Manhattan Theatre Club's American premiere of The Nap, which co-stars Alexandra Billings playing a transgender character, is playing a limited engagement at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) through Sunday, November 11th.

The Nap is written by Olivier Award nominee Richard Bean, the author of the rollicking, award-winning Broadway comedy One Man, Two Guvnors, and directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan (Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes; Rabbit Hole; Proof).

The Nap is a very funny look at the world of snooker - the British version of pool. Dylan Spokes, a fast-rising young star arrives for a championship tournament only to be confronted by the authorities warning him of the repercussions of match fixing. Before he knows it, Dylan's forced into underhanded dealings with a cast of wildly colorful characters that include his ex-convict dad, saucy mum, quick-tongued manager and a renowned gangster, to boot. It's a fast-paced comedy thriller where, in an exciting twist, the tournament unfolds live on stage. In its British premiere, The Guardian raved, "Ingenious," The Observer cheered, "Outrageously funny," and The Daily Mail called The Nap "brilliant and terrifically inventive." Directing is Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

The cast of The Nap features Alexandra Billings ("Transparent," "Goliath," recipient of the HRC Visibility Award), Tony Award nominee John Ellison Conlee (Murder Ballad, The Full Monty, "Boardwalk Empire"), two-time Tony Award nominee Johanna Day (Proof, Sweat, "Madam Secretary"), four-time and current 2018 United States National Snooker Champion Ahmed Aly Elsayed, Ethan Hova (Metrocards at Ensemble Studio Theatre, "The Blacklist"), Heather Lind (Incognito, Othello, "Turn"), Max Gordon Moore (Saint Joan, Indecent), Bhavesh Patel (Present Laughter, War Horse), Thomas Jay Ryan (The Crucible, In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and Ben Schnetzer (Sticks and Bones, Pride, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan).

The Nap's creative team includes David Rockwell (scenic design), Kaye Voyce (costume design), Justin Townsend (lighting design), Lindsay Jones (original music & sound design), Anne Ford-Coates (hair and make-up design), Ben Furey (dialect coach), and Thomas Schall (fight director).

Manhattan Theatre Club, under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over the past four and a half decades, MTC productions have earned numerous awards including 7 Pulitzer Prizes and 23 Tony Awards. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). Renowned MTC productions include the 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner Cost of Living by Martyna Majok; Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes; August Wilson's Jitney and The Piano Lesson; Heisenberg by Simon Stephens; The Father by Florian Zeller with translation by Christopher Hampton; Fool For Love by Sam Shepard; Airline Highway by Lisa D'Amour; Casa Valentina by Harvey Fierstein; Outside Mullingar and Doubt by John Patrick Shanley; The Commons of Pensacola by Amanda Peet; Murder Ballad by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash; The Assembled Parties by Richard Greenberg; Wit by Margaret Edson; Venus in Fur by David Ives; Good People and Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire; The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez; Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies; Ruined by Lynn Nottage; Proof by David Auburn; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch; Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally; Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley; and Ain't Misbehavin', the Fats Waller musical. For more information on MTC, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.